The present invention is directed to a vacuum cleaner apparatus having a chamber partially filled with water through which dirt and debris is drawn by the vacuum so that the dirt and debris are retained in the water. A series of baffles are utilized to remove water from the air prior to where the air exits the chamber.
Conventional vacuum cleaners, wherein air is drawn by a fan so as to produce a vacuum which lifts dirt, dust and the like from a floor being swept thereby, typically incorporate a discharge bag or similar structure through which the air exits, leaving the dirt and dust within the bag. In particular, the bag is porous, having openings that are sufficiently large to allow air to pass therethrough, but sufficiently small to capture much of the dirt and dust. Unfortunately, a substantial amount of the debris swept into such vacuum cleaners is of a small enough diameter to also pass through the openings in the bag. For example, typical bag filter vacuum cleaners capture only particles which are ten microns or greater in size. Consequently, use of such cleaners effectively results in the spraying of all dust particles smaller than ten microns back into the air. This is a very undesirable side effect for those who suffer from dust allergies since they are essentially sprayed with the dust to which they are allergic.
Because the bag type vacuum cleaners effectively recycle much of the fine dust back to the room from which it is taken and because such cleaners present significant problems to persons suffering from dust allergies, prior art inventors have attempted to produce machines which are more effective at removing smaller microscopic dust and dirt particles.
In particular, a number of companies have produced various water containment types of vacuum cleaners wherein the dust and dirt vacuumed up by the cleaner are directed toward or drawn through a water filled chamber. Watervacs or aquavacs of this type have effectively suffered from many different problems.
In many such units, the intake air, along with the dust and dirt particles, is merely directed at the water surface, with the interaction between air and water capturing much of the dirt and dust in the water. However, as the relatively high speed air stream strikes the water surface, much of the air, along with some of the dirt and dust, is merely reflected upward and drawn out the exhaust stream. Thus, just as in the bag filter vacuums, many microscopic dust and dirt particles are effectively sprayed back into the room being cleaned.
In water vacuum systems which draw the intake air directly through the water chamber, one problem is that motors used to drive the blowers drawing the vacuum have generally not been powerful enough. This is due to the basic design of prior art water vacuums, i.e. any blower having a high vacuum efficiency and/or high air flow rate therethrough also has a tendency to suck the water from the water chamber through the blower. This can be highly detrimental to the blower and motor, and can also result in spraying the collected dust and dirt along with the water back into the room being cleaned.
A second problem with the prior art structures is that the blowers and motors have often been physically located in a position within the vacuum in which they are susceptible to having water sloshed therein. This is particularly true when the vacuum is rapidly moved back and forth over the surface being cleaned.
A third problem is that the prior art has utilized a complicated and, therefore, very expensive type of system to avoid the problem of entrainment of water into the blower and motor. The resulting costs of such systems has effectively priced vacuum cleaners of this type out of the financial reach of many individuals.
Finally, many of the prior art water or aquavacs are relatively hard to clean. The blowers and motors are often permanently attached to parts that need frequent cleaning. This attachment, due to the sensitivity of motor parts, in particular, to moisture, effectively prevents spraying or emersion of the part to be cleaned. Furthermore, the systems are often cumbersome to disassemble, making it difficult to empty and clean the water chamber.
Consequently, a need still exists for a relatively low cost water collection vacuum cleaner that can utilize a relatively powerful motor driving a high speed blower which produce a high intake vacuum and air flow through the system. It is desirable that dirt and dust be effectively collected and contained in a water chamber with relatively little bypass of microscopic dust particles. It is also desirable that the entire system be relatively simple in design and easy to clean. Finally it is extremely desirable for the system to be relatively inexpensive so as to be affordable by most households.